ABOUT PETERSBURG, ALASKA

Home of Pacific Wings, LLC.

• Petersburg is located in the heart of Southeast Alaska. It was founded in 1897 by a Norwegian immigrant Peter Buschmann. He arrived in 1890 and realized that not only was there an abundance of fish in the icy waters surrounding the area but the nearby LeConte Glacier supplied an constant reserve of ice to keep fish fresh. He built a cannery in 1899 and as the word spread Petersburg quickly grew into a thriving Norwegian fishing village. To this day Petersburg is proud of their Scandinavian heritage which is lends to its' nickname "Little Norway".

• With close to 40,000 tourists per year, the tourism industry has quickly become one of the larger industries, second only to fishing. The spring and summer is the prime time for visitors to be seen around town enjoying the rich heritage of the island's community life and locale.

• Around May 17th there is a celebration called Mayfest: Little Norway's May Festival. This Norwegian celebration equals to our Fourth of July. The downtown area is closed off from traffic for the weekend as people crowd the streets and sidewalks partaking of the fine local foods, art and entertainment. Mixed into all the excitement is an array of Norwegian costumes, dancers, Vikings, Valkyries and our very own traditional Viking Ship that rolls down main street in the holidays' parade.

• Petersburg is located in the midst of the Tongass National Forest, a majestic rainforest. It rests on the north end of Mitkof Island surrounded by Frederick Sound and overlooked by Devil's Thumb Mountain. Located in the center of Southeast Alaska's Inside Passage, Mitkof island is part of the Alexander Archipelago.

• Petersburg has an abundant wildlife in and around the island: Bald Eagles, sea lions, Harbor Seals, Dungeness & King Crab, Shrimp, Humpback and Orca Whales, Black Bear, Sitka Black-tailed Deer, moose, Mountain Goats, and Canadian Geese, just to name a few.

• Like most of Southeast Alaska it rains a lot, over 110' Inches a year. That is what keeps the air so clean, gives a hand to the healthy canopy of flora & fauna and helps the creeks stay full of spawning salmon each year.

• This fishing community keeps a steady population of about 3,000 residents year-long.

Photos: Hammer's Slough, City of Petersburg, Sons of Norway Hall, Muskeg View © Donel Judy

TRAVEL TO PETERSBURG

Alaska Airlines

Petersburg has a great transportation system for bringing people and supplies in. Alaska Airlines has two scheduled flights a day with Boeing 737 jet aircraft. One flight arrives from the south (Seattle, WA) in the morning and continues north, while a second flight arrives from the north (Anchorage, AK) in the afternoon and continues south. Alaska Airlines treats the Petersburg stop just like any other schedule, and a reservation can be made just like any other major airline reservation. Reservations can be made and schedules can be looked at on the Alaska Airlines web page.

Alaska Marine Highway

The State of Alaska runs a ferry system called the Alaska Marine Highway, which runs year-round between all of the major cities in Southeast Alaska, with some voyages beginning in Bellingham, Washington and Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Both Bellingham and Prince Rupert are accessible by road, so it is easy to make a driving trip to Alaska putting your car or RV on the ferry to visit all of the towns in Southeast. To get information on the ferry system or to reserve a ticket, visit the Alaska Marine Highway web site.

Shipping Services to Petersburg

If you want to ship things to Alaska, there are a variety of different services available. We have a full service Post Office, and most major letter carriers operate here (Fed Ex, UPS, DHL, etc…) Alaska Airlines runs an air cargo service into Petersburg, including their gold streak express service. If you want to send something large, or if there is plenty of time to get something to Petersburg there is also a barge service. Alaska Marine Lines (AML) operates a system of tugs and barges that brings everything from groceries, to automobiles, to heavy equipment. This barge service is usually cheaper than most other shipping services for large items, but can take up to a couple of weeks to arrive. For more information visit Alaska Marine Lines Barge website.

Photos: Alaska Airlines Jet, Alaska Marine Highway Ferry 1 & 2 © Donel Judy